Previewing the upcoming NFL season leads us to looking in-depth at every offense in the game, with a ranking of who will have the best overall squad in the league for 2012.

Remember, this isn't about who has the best passing game or the best running back, it's about cohesion and production on offense. Having the best quarterback in the NFL will help, but if his offensive line can't block or there are no quality receivers, the total offensive unit won't rank very high.

Maryse stated on her official website Saturday night that she has recovered from her abdominal hernia surgery on August 24.“I met with my surgeon today and she said everything is perfect,” she wrote. “There’s a little bit of fluid inside by the incision and where the repairs were done, but its totally normal apparently. The scar healed really good and there is no infection. So the surgery was a total success. I’m sooooooo happy!!!”The former WWE Divas Champion last competed on the July 25 episode of RAW. She was advertised ...

Last Tuesday’s SmackDown! taping in Toledo, Ohio was one of the worst attended WWE events in years as it drew 3,200 fans, with only 1,600 paid.Following the event’s poor advance, WWE only sold tickets facing the camera so the Huntington Center would appear full on television. SLAM! Wrestling columnist Matt Bishop, who attended the event, described the venue’s appearance: “Tuesday’s tapings of WWE Smackdown, Superstars and NXT wasn’t notable because of what happened in the ring, but rather because of what was happening outside the ringside area. Or more appropriately, ...

In a recent interview, Michael Bisping said that his fight with Brian Stann is the real main event of UFC 152. Saying, "No one cares about little flyweights," Bisping said he and Stann were above the night's headliner in Joseph Benavidez vs. Demetrious Johnson for the UFC Flyweight Title. This is just a stupid thing to say. For starters, they're two of the best flyweights in the world, Bisping is a middle of the road middleweight, and Benavidez and Johnson are also fighting for a title.

Bisping also believes that if he wins this fight against Stann he deserves the next shot at Anderson Silva. He chooses to discount his decision loss to Chael Sonnen last January, and while it's true that there's not exactly a line of contenders out the door who deserve a shot at Silva, Bisping hasn't been especially impressive. I personally think that Stann goes out there and knocks him out, but if Bisping were to win in impressive fashion, I guess a title shot wouldn't be out of the question. He wouldn't be my first choice, but I could live with it.

The point is, title fights are always the main event. They're what everyone is fighting for. For Bisping to disrespect guys who have earned a title shot as opposed to just whining about earning one himself is just wrong. Some will say he's just trying to sell a fight, but unless Bisping plans on fighting either Benavidez or Johnson and proving me right that they would win, what's the point? There are still far too many people out there who equate size with greatness, and as a fighter Bisping should make it his job to try to educate those people into realizing that size is only one factor that determines how successful a fighter can be.

*************

Another thing that Michael Bisping said during his little stump speech for his fight against Brian Stann was theirs was a fight between two big, hard-hitting guys and that someone was getting knocked out, but it wasn't going to be him. I only wish I was drinking water while I heard that so I could have done a spit-take. I don't know what makes Bisping believe that he's hard-hitting, but I believe the facts speak against him.

It's true that Bisping does have a lot of TKO stoppages, but those are stoppages where the ref steps in because Bisping is connecting with punch after punch. I'll give Bisping plenty of credit for being a good technical striker, but there's no question that he lacks power. Some guys have C-4 or semtex in their gloves, Bisping has Play-Doh. He's able to overcome that with good technique, but he needs to stop bragging about being a power puncher and come to realize his limitations.

*************

I gave UFC 149 an 8.5 in my Torch Roundtable, which was very high compared to everyone else, and I think there were a lot of factors in this. I really enjoyed the Renan Barao vs. Uriah Faber fight. I also was factoring in the undercard that aired on FX. I don't feel the need to justify my scores, but I did want to clarify why I scored it as I did. It's true that there were some really bad moments and I was much more forgiving than I usually am. I watched the show with a lot of friends and we were having a good time so that factored in as well. I haven't gone blind or crazy, but sometimes things seem a lot better under certain circumstances.

Suggestions and comments can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com

For those who watched the men's gymnastics team final there's only one word that can describe what happened—stunning.

The Chinese rebounded from their struggles in the qualification round and won gold with 275.997, which wasn't a surprise at all, as most knew they were a team to contend with in the final.

And that's when the real surprise came.

On their final apparatus, Japan looked to falter and ended up fourth in the team standings—initially. After a protest by the Japanese coach regarding Kohei Uchimura's pommel horse routine, his score was upgraded, vaulting the Japanese into the silver medal.

According to a live results story posted by Bleacher Report featured columnist Avi Wolfman-Arent:

There is little-to-no celebration from the Japanese.

They look relieved to have survived an embarrassment, but nothing further.

The focus seems to be on Uchimura's dismount, but that's not official.

Regardless, this might be hotly contested for a long time.

In the end, Great Britain was dropped from silver to bronze and Ukraine fell off the podium.

Two title changes took place Sunday night at No Surrender as Winter regained the Women’s Knockout Championship from Mickie James while Austin Aries beat Brian Kendrick to capture the X Division Championship.The title changes were forewarned prior to the event as a match line-up for the Sept. 23 TNA live event in Springfield, Illinois listed Aries as the X Division Champion and Winter as the Women’s Knockouts Champion. We reported both these title changes in our **SPOILER** report on Sunday afternoon.Robert Roode defeated Bully Ray via pinfall to win the ...

My friend posted this fight on facebook, i think no one here saw it beforesorry for bad englishI don't know if i can post muay thai fights in this forum, but it's Anderson Silva... Hope you guys enjoy it

Right-handed should-be-starting pitcher Kevin Correia isn't going to lead a team to the promised land, but he is good enough to prevent them from failing to get there.

This veteran, who was recently displaced from the starting rotation with the Pittsburgh Pirates, is a solid addition to any team with a hole in their rotation, and depending on how dark and deep the hole in the rotation it is not out of the question to say he could bring three extra wins.

Correia is 8-6 with a 4.49 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. He is not a world beater, but a team would know they will almost always get at least five innings per start that leaves them with a chance to win.

Of course, the biggest reason Correia's name is coming up at the typically big-name dominated trade deadline is that he is readily available.

Rob Biertempfel of TribLive.com, shared a quote Correia where he says, "I want to start. For that to happen, I’ll have to go someplace else,”

Biertempfel followed that up with a quote from Pirates GM Neal Huntington admitting the team was "open to a trade."

If the following tweet by CBS Sports' Jon Heyman is to be believed, then their openness to that trade comes with a big price tag.

hear #pirates have put a high price tag on kevin correia (8-6, 4.24), one of the better pitchers ever bounced to the pen

Now, of course the Pirates want it out there that they aren't just going to give him away, they need to maximize his value. The reality is though, that it won't take a ton of value to make the Pirates part with a pitcher they don't particularly have a need for.

Here are three teams that do have a need for him.

Toronto Blue Jays, 51-50

It appears like the Blue Jays are going to buyers at this deadline, and with their starting pitchers dropping like flies, the Blue Jays are looking everywhere for pitching help. Correia would be a nice pickup.

He would give this staff some much needed stability with his innings and veteran presence.

Atlanta Braves, 57-44

The Braves have been on the lookout for pitching, and were reportedly Ryan Dempster waving his no-trade clause away from landing the Cubs ace.

Admittedly, trading for Correia does not make nearly as big an impact as landing Dembster, but he would add much needed experience and reliability at the bottom of their rotation, and it shouldn't keep them from pursuing a bigger deal.

Boston Red Sox, 51-51

The Red Sox need more than Correia, but Boston needs fresh arms any way they can get them. They also appear to be looking to shake things up as there are serious rumors they want to part ways with Josh Beckett.

At this point, Boston should be eyeing every pitcher. They could see how the market plays out for Correia while working on bigger deals. They need all the sources of quality innings they can get and Correia would be a solid starting point.

The moment so many Toronto Raptors fans were waiting for this summer is now over. Raptors fans were able to finally watch Jonas Valanciunas play on national television.

Valanciunas played about 13-14 minutes and impressed in the little playing time he was given. One thing that was very obvious was that Valanciunas hustles, and that's one thing Raptors fans will really like about this guy.

In the limited minutes he played, Valanciunas grabbed five rebounds—two offensive, and three defensive boards. On one of his offensive boards, he turned a missed shot into a second-chance opportunity, which he converted on the shot.

On offense, another thing that was very visible was his pick-and-roll game. Going into the BA draft, people knew he was a pick-and-roll kind of player, and two of his three field goals were from a pick-and-roll situation. He only took four shots, and converted on three of them, so he did make smart decisions on the offensive end.

On defense, he did not block shots like he usually does, and he did look lost due to Argentina's great passing. Another point on defense was foul trouble. One con going against Valanciunas is his inability to prevent fouls from being called on him. He had two quick fouls, and that kept him out of the game for a while.

Valanciunas rarely played in not only the second half, but the whole game, which was a surprise. If there is anything this Lithuania team has that Argentina didn't, it was size. Jonas Valanciunas was the tallest player in the game, and the Lithuanians did not use that to their advantage and had trouble scoring.

He did not play great, nor did he do bad, but he played good in the minutes he was given. If Lithuania wants to make it out of the preliminary round, they need to utilize Valanciunas to his full potential.

Final Grade: B-

If you want more news about sports, feel free to check out my sports blog. I talk mainly about the NBA and NHL, but I will be putting out some more stuff about other sports, such as the NFL and MLB.

Chris the Wiesel Weidman saying I fold under pressure. Hahahahaha I needed a good laugh this morning. https://es.twitter.com/bisping/status/229271291801243648So did I Mike but it looks like I'm not going to get it from you.

Bela Karolyi needs to just accept the fact that Jordyn Wieber failed, and he needs to stop making excuses for why it happened.

Wieber uncharacteristically bombed her floor exercise on Day 2 of the 2012 Summer Games, missing out on the all-around competition on the process.

Karolyi—the former head coach of the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team—blames the process, claiming that Wieber's placement as the second-to-last gymnast to compete is the reason for her failure. Wieber competed before Aly Raisman, and traditionally, the best gymnast is supposed to compete last.

According to USA Today, Karolyi said, "This shouldn't have happened. This is a definite line-up mistake." He's also "afraid" that Wieber's disappointment could cost the U.S. women's team the gold medal in the team competition because he worries she may not bounce back from the psychological disappointment.

Here's the deal: Wieber is a veteran. She has been competing on the big stage internationally for a couple of years now. It's not like we're talking about Kyla Ross here.

Wieber simply failed. It happens to everyone in life, and it just so happens that it happened to her on one of the biggest stages the world has to offer. The lineup had nothing to do with it. She just wasn't on her game. Period.

Karolyi is like a big papa bear who doesn't want to see his girls suffer, but he needs to back off on this one. There's no reason to stir up a hornets nest of strife over the fact that Wieber wasn't the last gymnast to compete.

These girls are mentally tough. They train from their youth to compete at the highest levels, and their bodies and minds are subjected to more wear-and-tear than many of us will ever know. Therefore, I can't believe that a lineup hiccup is to blame for Wieber's sub-par routine.

The sooner Wieber can forget about her failure, the better off Team USA is going to be. Karolyi isn't doing her any favors by trying to create a scandal about the process. She needs to set her mind on the next task at hand and move forward.

In a recent interview, Michael Bisping said that his fight with Brian Stann is the real main event of UFC 152. Saying, "No one cares about little flyweights," Bisping said he and Stann were above the night's headliner in Joseph Benavidez vs. Demetrious Johnson for the UFC Flyweight Title. This is just a stupid thing to say. For starters, they're two of the best flyweights in the world, Bisping is a middle of the road middleweight, and Benavidez and Johnson are also fighting for a title.

Bisping also believes that if he wins this fight against Stann he deserves the next shot at Anderson Silva. He chooses to discount his decision loss to Chael Sonnen last January, and while it's true that there's not exactly a line of contenders out the door who deserve a shot at Silva, Bisping hasn't been especially impressive. I personally think that Stann goes out there and knocks him out, but if Bisping were to win in impressive fashion, I guess a title shot wouldn't be out of the question. He wouldn't be my first choice, but I could live with it.

The point is, title fights are always the main event. They're what everyone is fighting for. For Bisping to disrespect guys who have earned a title shot as opposed to just whining about earning one himself is just wrong. Some will say he's just trying to sell a fight, but unless Bisping plans on fighting either Benavidez or Johnson and proving me right that they would win, what's the point? There are still far too many people out there who equate size with greatness, and as a fighter Bisping should make it his job to try to educate those people into realizing that size is only one factor that determines how successful a fighter can be.

*************

Another thing that Michael Bisping said during his little stump speech for his fight against Brian Stann was theirs was a fight between two big, hard-hitting guys and that someone was getting knocked out, but it wasn't going to be him. I only wish I was drinking water while I heard that so I could have done a spit-take. I don't know what makes Bisping believe that he's hard-hitting, but I believe the facts speak against him.

It's true that Bisping does have a lot of TKO stoppages, but those are stoppages where the ref steps in because Bisping is connecting with punch after punch. I'll give Bisping plenty of credit for being a good technical striker, but there's no question that he lacks power. Some guys have C-4 or semtex in their gloves, Bisping has Play-Doh. He's able to overcome that with good technique, but he needs to stop bragging about being a power puncher and come to realize his limitations.

*************

I gave UFC 149 an 8.5 in my Torch Roundtable, which was very high compared to everyone else, and I think there were a lot of factors in this. I really enjoyed the Renan Barao vs. Uriah Faber fight. I also was factoring in the undercard that aired on FX. I don't feel the need to justify my scores, but I did want to clarify why I scored it as I did. It's true that there were some really bad moments and I was much more forgiving than I usually am. I watched the show with a lot of friends and we were having a good time so that factored in as well. I haven't gone blind or crazy, but sometimes things seem a lot better under certain circumstances.

Suggestions and comments can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com

Howdy. I'm Jim Genia. You might recognize me from such great literary works as "I, Armbar" and "Tito Ortiz's Head: Friend or Foe?" While Maggie Hendricks is covering some sort of athletic event called the "Olympics", I'll be filling in here at Cagewri...

After defeating Shinya Aoki this April, former Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez had a couple of options. With one fight and several months remaining on his contract, he could opt to take that final fight, or wait out the expiration of his contract.

Had he done the latter, he would have triggered a negotiation period with Bellator, then a matching period, at which time he would be free to negotiate with the UFC. Well, he's opted to speed up that process by fighting at least once more in the organization.

According to a report from MMAFighting.com, Alvarez has agreed to fight on October 15, fulfilling the final fight on his contract. His opponent has not been signed, but Bellator is expected to announce it in the coming days. The event will take place at Caesars Windsor Hotel & Casino in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Following that final fight, Alvarez will enter his matching period with the organization. That means he's free to field offers, but Bellator has a right to match the contract within a three month span. They had that right with former Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard, opting not to match the terms offered by the UFC.

Penick's Analysis: Well, if the UFC offers Alvarez terms in short order, and Bellator decides not to match them, Alvarez could potentially debut in the UFC as early as the end of the year. He may not want to turn around quite that quickly, but he realistically could be in the UFC by January. That's an exciting prospect for his fans, who have wanted to see how he can perform against the top competition in the sport. And though he did suffer a loss to Michael Chandler last fall, he can still prove himself as a top competitor in the lightweight division if he heads to the Octagon.

Manchester United's long-standing transfer target Lucas Moura has caused plenty of frustration for Red Devils fans right around the world about whether or not he will end up making a move to Old Trafford.

It's been the epitome of on-again, off-again, as United try to sign the talented teenager from Brazilian club Sao Paulo and according to latest reports, United are believed to be considering one final offer, according to The Metro:

Manchester United are set to make a final take it or leave it offer for Sao Paulo wonder kid Lucas Moura.

The Red Devils have been locked in negotiations for 19-year-old Lucas for the last two weeks, but are now ready for a final round of make or break talks in a bid to resolve the deadlocked situation.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is desperate to land the all action midfielder - rated as one of the biggest talents in South America - but is refusing to match Sao Paulo's £30 million price tag.

Ferguson has already failed with an opening £20 million bid, after sending chief scout Jim Lawlor and club secretary John Alexander out to Brazil to broker a deal, and now wants a decision on whether the player will move to Old Trafford by the end of next week.

With Lucas set to shine for Brazil at the current 2012 London Olympics, it is expected that his future will be decided after the conclusion of the tournament—though the latest information coming through is that United want a decision made on the transfer target immediately.

The Red Devils have been chasing Lucas for some time now but are looking increasingly unlikely to land the talented teenager after both the player's agent and the club's director have confirmed that negotiations between the two parties have stalled.

They [Manchester United] have reached their limit—they will not offer any more. He [Lucas Moura] will not leave, he is happy in Sao Paulo.

This matter has to be terminated, there is no possibility of him leaving now. Manchester United made an offer—which was refused—and will not do another because they came up to their limit...

The news was also then backed up by Sao Paulo director Adalberto Baptista, who hinted at the crossover between the English and Brazilian transfer windows as a reason behind the breakdown in negotiations—telling ESPN Brazil (h/t Goal):

There are no negotiations going on. Everybody knows we got an offer for him and rejected it. It's also known that Lucas [Moura] doesn't want to leave.

The decision is final. There will always be great teams going after great players—the mismatch between European and Brazilian transfer window makes it hard for national clubs, and we have to deal with that...

Whilst no new information about the reported new bid that Manchester United are believed to be putting together, it would have to be in the vicinity of £30 million to force Sao Paulo into selling their talented youngster.

Lucas is a promising player and has a bright future ahead of him, but I simply cannot see Sir Alex Ferguson paying such a high price for a player that hasn't really proven anything yet.

I expect the Red Devils to wait and see how Lucas goes at the Olympics and whether he can perform on the international stage before making a final call as to the amount they will put forward in their final offer.

I've hinted at before that I don't see this deal going through—it's just too much to pay for an unproven youngster—and it seems that it will take the full summer transfer window to reach an agreement on whether or not Lucas Moura will be making a move to Old Trafford this summer.

Former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante will appeal his one year suspension for a failed steroid test when he meets with the California State Athletic Commission on August 8, according to a report from MMAJunkie.com.

Cavalcante was suspended last month after the drug test results came back from his May 19 bout against Mike Kyle. The former champion's first sample tested positive for the steroid stanozolol, and his camp petitioned the commission to test his "B" sample.

That sample was tested on June 26, and Cavalcante's camp had a drug expert present on that date. That same expert, along with a lawyer for Cavalcante, will be present for the appeal hearing on August 8 in Sacramento, Calif.

If his appeal fails, his suspension will run until May 18, 2013, one year from the date he was tested.

Penick's Analysis: If the "B" sample came back with different results from the first sample tested, Cavalcante will have a case; if not, he still may be able to argue himself down to a six month suspension, as the CSAC has historically lessened suspensions with even the slightest challenge from fighters. Still, it comes down to that "B" sample, because if it's different from the "A" sample he can argue that the first sample was tainted somehow, or that the equipment was compromised with that first test.

The UFC came into Toronto on Tuesday for a press conference to officially announce the UFC 152 card for Sept. 22, but there was a conspicuous absence on the dais: B.J. Penn. The former two-division champion, who will return on that card to face Rory MacDonald 11 months after "retiring," was not in attendance, and with that, MacDonald questioned just how well Penn is preparing for the fight.

"I'm training for the best B.J., you know what I mean?" MacDonald said (via MMAFighting.com). "I'm preparing to be the best version, I'm going to come out evolved. I'm going to come out in good shape, explosive, exciting like I always do, and I'm going to be very technical. I'm going to be on point. I don't know where B.J.'s at. He didn't even show up to this. He's dropping out of the VADA testing. The last time I saw him he looked really out of shape. I don't know where his head is at in this, but he better get serious or I'm going to hurt him very badly."

MacDonald expanded on the VADA issue, which gained some steam as a talking point when Penn wanted to have the results withheld until after the fight if they went with the random testing program. Penn's reasoning was he doesn't want MacDonald testing positive for something and the fight getting canceled, because then he doesn't get paid, but MacDonald thinks Penn was never serious about it in the first place.

"I think he did it just to start s***, to get something going," MacDonald said. "But I was up for it. I said 'let's do it.' I was ready to prove that I'm not on anything and maybe motivate other fighters to start doing it, too. But he was the one that offered it and then backed out of it. He started making all these sayings like they weren't going to release the test before the fight, and all this, and they never did. He started making up all this stuff, so I don't know really what's going on with B.J.'s head right now."

Penick's Analysis: Penn certainly does seem to be in his own world with things at times, and his take on VADA testing never made sense when he's trying to tout a clean sport. Willfully fighting someone who was on something when the point of testing is to keep fighters and athletes from performing while using is nonsensical, and Penn's arguments never moved it past that point. MacDonald's now just got to concentrate on himself, and not on Penn and any issues he may have. He needs to perform on Sept. 22, and if Penn's not ready for him that will be to his detriment.